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Moments after Nick Kyrgios’ implosion was complete, as the 21-year-old was booed out of Hisense Arena by his home crowd, he smirked.
Perhaps he was thinking about the $80,000 just made for his second-round Australian Open exit.
Maybe he remembered he’s still sponsored by the largest sporting brand on the planet.
On face value, it looked to be because he simply doesn’t care if he wins or loses.
Following the primetime capitulation, Twitter lit up with overwhelming condemnation of Kyrgios’ performance – many referencing John McEnroe’s observation that the Australian simply stops competing in matches.
In an embarrassing post-match press conference, Kyrgios mocked the “Johnny Mac” critique while dismissing the loss, jumping from one excuse to another and providing terse responses.
While Kyrgios has talent to burn and on raw ability alone is our most skillful player, I’d happily watch replays of any other Aussie over what Kyrgios dished up against the impressive Andreas Seppi.
Jordan Thompson scrambling for every point on the way to his maiden Australian Open win? Yes please.
Andrew Whittington putting his wildcard to good use for a white-knuckled victory? You bet.
Ash Barty fighting tooth-and-nail to secure her best best-ever result at a Grand Slam? Absolutely.
These players don’t have high profiles, big endorsement deals or flashy haircuts. They don’t berate and abuse their own team box during matches. They don’t fire looks of disdain at a home crowd rising as one in support.
Yet they demonstrate in spades the one thing Kyrgios too often doesn’t: they fight.
Like many Australians, I grew up immersed in national sporting obsession, getting behind our individuals and teams competing at the highest level.
Tennis holds a particularly soft spot in our household, thanks in part to hundreds of hours spent in front of the TV watching our local hopes dart and slide across courts of green, blue and ochre.
Year in and year out, we’d offer familiar advice to Aussie players who found their back against the wall in tight matches: “Dig in, have a crack, fight.”
Pat Rafter copped plenty of that advice en route to a heartbreaking Wimbledon final loss to Goran Ivanisevic.
Lleyton Hewitt received a measured dose as he crushed Pete Sampras to win the US Open.
A heap went Sam Groth’s way this week, as he landed on the wrong side of a tough four-set encounter.
In his early matches, the same advice went Kyrgios’ way, as he barged onto the international tennis stage and shook up some of the world’s best.
But recent years of his petulance, crowd abuse and flagrant lack of effort have quelled my vocal chords. I’ve switched off.
When matches aren’t going his way, he often doesn’t try because he often doesn’t care.
And that’s the funny thing: we don’t actually care if he wins or loses either – as long as he has a red-hot crack.
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